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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com